If you’re happily all wrapped up in your plushy, 1000-thread-count comfort zone, good for you. This message isn’t for you. This message is for the person who isn’t content with mediocracy. This message is for the person who wants bigger things, better things, and knows deep down inside that they deserve just that.

So for you, I bring you a few words of encouragement in hopes to convince you to step out of your comfort zone, and take a few risks in life – to get you closer to living the life of your dreams.

1. Without risk, there is no reward.
You want to soar. Make moves. Kill the game. Dream things, do things, achieve things – you want to fly. But you will never fly if you do not jump. You absolutely have to take risks in life to gain rewards. If you don’t take a risk, you’ll never know what could have been. Some of the most successful people in life took risks – not all risks taken may see reward, but you must not let that stop you from taking risks in the first place.

2. You will learn something new.
The definition of insanity is said to be doing the same thing over and over again while expecting a different outcome. So if you want change, you’ve got to get out of that comfortable, plushy place that keeps you doing the same thing over and over again. Break out of that because I guarantee you that you will end up learning something new. You’ll meet new people, you’ll see new places, you’ll learn new skills, and you’ll become a better version of yourself.

3. Complacency is a creativity killer.
Creativity in my opinion is the ability to think outside of the box. It’s a lot harder to do that when you’re stuck in the same box every single day. When you’re presented with hard times and placed in new territories, you’ll be surprised at how creative you become. Innovation is not always an option – sometimes it is a necessity.

4. Change will happen, and that’s a good thing.
Ooh, change. A scary thing, isn’t it? New friends, new people, new job, new conversations, new town, new city, new food? Yes, it can all be a bit overwhelming – the thought of it all can be crippling. But once you get over those fearful thoughts, and look past the bad things that could happen – you’ll focus less on where you are now, and where you want to be. One big change might be the one thing you need to get closer to your goals.

5. Confidence takes practice.
I don’t think we’re born confident. It takes practice. It takes a lot of small gains to eventually build up to make you feel like you know what you’re doing. But that’s what makes it so wonderful. If you’re not confident in yourself, that’s probably the best reason to do something crazy and spontaneously awesome – you may fall, but you will pick yourself back up. And afterwards, you’ll be able to pat yourself on the back for it. Do things that scare you. Do things that scare you. Do things that scare you. The more you do things that scare you, the more you’ll realize that you are capable of much more than you thought you were, and the more confident you’ll become.

6. It will set you up for success.
Rome wasn’t built in a day, boo. Success is a journey, not a destination. It’s funny because I sometimes fall victim to the same things that so many people do. Enough is never enough. I’m always thinking about what’s next – instead of looking back to see how far I’ve come. And then be proud of those gains that I’ve made. But when you take yourself out of that cycle, you’ll become stronger, build confidence and become more aware of your strengths, weaknesses, and gains. Stepping out of your comfort zone will set you up for success.

7. Regret is inevitable, but avoidable.
Do you want to spend the rest of your life wondering, what if? Because that is what will happen, if you don’t make the decision to LIVE. The cost of not following your heart, is spending the rest of your life wishing you had. Yes, regret is inevitable, but you have the choice to avoid it the best you can. And I’d rather be regretting what I did do, instead of what I didn’t.

8. Great things never came from comfort zones.
I like to read the stories of some of the most commercially successful (famous) people in life, and I also like to hear the stories of some of the everyday successful people in life – and there’s one thing I learned: everyone did things that scared them. Everyone made tough decisions. Everyone stepped out of their comfort zones.

So I want to ask, what have you struggled with in the past? Are you still struggling with it, and if not – what did you do to overcome your fears and get closer to your goals?